activate alarm

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "activate alarm" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used in contexts where you need to instruct someone to turn on or trigger an alarm system for security or alert purposes. Example: "In case of an emergency, please activate the alarm immediately to alert the authorities."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Academia

Encyclopedias

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

DEPENDING on a viewer's age and familiarity with social networks, the premise of "Catfish" will either activate alarm bells or provoke a smile and a platitude about our wonderfully interconnected world.

The Economist

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

Make sure the boxes are checked to activate alarms in both the "Low battery alarm" and "Critical battery alarm" areas.

The New York Times - Tech

In a life critical situation, multiple alarm sources may activate alarms simultaneously.

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking

From a console outside, Bolt can activate alarms, turn off the lights or even fill the modules with smoke.

BBC

A wrongly activated alarm in the disabled toilet is the most regularly cited explanation.

BBC

Apollo 11 ran her software, and at a critical moment during the lunar landing demonstrated its reliability — and also the importance of good documentation — when it activated alarms related to receiving more input than it could handle.

TechCrunch

Motion activated alarms can be useful.

WikiHow

I would like to activate an alarm and run.

The New York Times

Among the popular features, he said, are portable key fobs, which let consumers activate an alarm system as they come and go by merely pressing a button.

The New York Times

So if you activate the alarm when you go to bed at night, you must remember to deactivate it when you get up in morning.

The New York Times

These include electronic heat and smoke detectors that can activate audible alarm devices to warn the building population and automatically notify local fire departments.

Britannica

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use 'activate' when describing the deliberate use of a button or pull-station during an emergency

Common error

Avoid using "activate alarm" when you mean that a burglar accidentally tripped a sensor; in that case, 'triggered' or 'set off' is more accurate. 'Activate' usually implies a purposeful human action or a specific system command

Linguistic Context

The phrase "activate alarm" functions as a transitive verb phrase. According to Ludwig AI, it is most often used in the imperative mood for instructions or in the indicative mood to describe a sequence of events. While it can appear without an article in shorthand or technical logs, standard prose usually includes 'the' or 'an' to specify the object.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

48%

Science

25%

Wiki

15%

Less common in

Academia

7%

Encyclopedias

3%

Social Media

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In conclusion, "activate alarm" is a versatile and professionally sound phrase used to describe the triggering of a warning system. Ludwig AI shows that while the exact phrase appears in specialized technical or news contexts, its variants like "activate the alarm" or "activate an alarm" are ubiquitous across high-quality publications. It is most effective when used to describe intentional actions or automated safety responses. Writers should ensure they distinguish between 'activating' a siren and 'arming' a system to maintain technical accuracy. Overall, it is a reliable choice for formal, technical and journalistic writing.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

trigger alarm

Focuses on the specific action or event that causes the alarm to go off

set off alarm

A more common, slightly less formal way to describe causing an alarm to sound

trip the alarm

Implies an accidental or unauthorized triggering of a security sensor

sound the alarm

Often used metaphorically to warn of a danger or literal to describe the noise starting

raise an alarm

Focuses on the communicative act of alerting others to a problem

initiate the alarm

Highly formal, often used in procedural or emergency protocol documentation

engage the alarm

A more technical or formal way to describe initiating the system

arm the alarm

Refers to the act of preparing the system to monitor a space, rather than making it ring

enable the alarm

Refers to turning the system function on in a software or control panel setting

alert authorities

Describes the intended outcome of activating a security signal

FAQs

How do I use "activate alarm" in a sentence?

You can use it in emergency protocols such as: 'In the event of a fire, please activate the alarm nearest to the exit.' It is also common in tech contexts: 'The system is designed to "trigger the alarm" automatically upon detection.'

What is the difference between "activate alarm" and "arm alarm"?

To '"arm the alarm"' means to turn the security system on so it can monitor for intruders. To "activate alarm" usually means the siren or alert signal has been turned on, either manually or by a sensor.

Is it correct to say "set off alarm" instead?

Yes, '"set off the alarm"' is a very common and natural alternative, though it is slightly less formal than "activate alarm".

When should I use "sound the alarm"?

Use '"sound the alarm"' when you want to emphasize the auditory warning or when speaking figuratively about alerting people to a crisis.